FL House GOP Roadblocks DeSantis’ Childhood Vaccine Requirements Repeal

from the down-with-the-sickness dept

The anti-vaccine sugar rush that has infected some portions of the country, largely thanks to the profane appointment of RFK Jr. to head HHS, is incredibly frustrating. That makes it all the more important when the movement receives not just pushback when trying to enact absurd policy based on conspiracy theories, but specifically when that pushback comes from the same party engaging in the absurdity.

Earlier this year, flanked by Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, announced that the state government was seeking to end all vaccine requirements for school children in the state. And, because Ladapo is a hack, he postured this move in the silliest way possible.

Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health would be working with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office to end all mandates in state law, at the event at Grace Christian School in Valrico, located just east of Tampa.

“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said of vaccine mandates.

Equating vaccine mandates to slavery may well be one of the dumbest analogies a human being has ever come up with. Vaccines save lives, prevent illness, and go a long way toward staving off the long term effects of many infectious diseases. Suggesting that any of that is akin to the slave trade reveals far more about the person making such a silly accusation than it does about our vaccination programs.

DeSantis, for his part, stated that some vaccine requirements could be removed immediately, while others would require state legislation. But the legislation drawn up to achieve that has hit a major roadblock, and that roadblock is Florida’s House GOP.

Just minutes into a special session on Tuesday, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez announced that the Republican-led chamber would not take up a proposal from DeSantis to allow children to opt out of certain school vaccination requirements. The move effectively killed the proposal, which had been backed by the Senate.

Perez, a father from Miami with three young children, said he was concerned by the idea of “children being in school without measles and mumps and polio and chickenpox vaccines that have been working for decades,” according to The New York Times, which reported from the State Capitol. “That was something that I was uncomfortable with.”

Thank the universe for sane, thinking members of the GOP, in this case. Perez is precisely correct: vaccines have worked for a long, long time and removing their requirement in public schools serves to only make more children more sick. It ignores our collective responsibility for the health of those around us, some of which have underlying conditions that mean they can’t get vaccines they would otherwise desire. Why in the world should someone in that unfortunate situation have to literally risk their lives in order to go to school? What are those kids supposed to do, just because someone bought into the vaccine misinformation?

None of these anti-vaccine goobers ever seem to want to answer that question. Instead, they retreat to their “Don’t Tread On Me” slogans, or other talking points. As for DeSantis, sane questions like this are pure political games, apparently.

On social media, DeSantis responded to the House’s rejection by calling it “typical political shenanigans.”

Ladapo also responded, saying: “The governor’s agenda to defend freedom, whether from medical tyranny or tech oligarchs, is something Floridians and Americans everywhere want and value. Members of the Florida House should be leading that effort, not standing in the way.”

Those House members are representing their districts, Mr. Surgeon General. Better than you are, I would argue. And does anyone actually read these boot-licking comments from Ladapo and conclude that any of it represents sincerely held beliefs, rather than a sincere desire to remain in power?

Certainly not this writer, I can tell you. This is more pandering for politics on the part of Ladapo. And he will eventually have the blood of children on his hands if he gets his way.

Filed Under: anti-vaxxers, florida, joseph ladapo, ron desantis, vaccine mandates, vaccines